- Preparation time
- 20 mins
- Cooking time
- 30 mins
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 6 people
- Meal course
- Dessert
- Posted by
- Posted on
- February 12, 2017
- 3
- Cloves
- 2
- Cinnamon Stick
- 1/2 cup
- Brown sugar or 'panela'
- 1/2 cup
- Espresso or strong coffee
- 175 grams
- Unsalted butter
- 1 tsp
- Cayenne pepper
- 200 grams
- Dark chocolate
- 4
- Eggs
Nothing says ‘I love you’ more than a home cooked meal. Anyone can book a restaurant to be wined and dined (if you have the budget and let’s face it few of us do these days) but taking the time to trawl the internet to create a menu plan, with dietary requirements accounted for, shop for all the ingredients and lovingly execute a bespoke dining experience especially for your partner shows kindness, thoughtfulness and commitment. This gluten-free lover’s chocolate, coffee and chilli torte is the perfect pudding to finish your Valentine’s dinner with punch.
Food for mood: Chocolate stimulates the release of the body’s endorphins and serotonin to set the right mood for a night of romance. The cayenne pepper (an aphrodisiac) warms your entire body and leaves your taste buds tingling for more, a little like a passionate kiss. Finally, coffee is a stimulant that will literally keep you up all night. This explosive combination of chocolate, coffee and chilli is guaranteed to make your Valentine’s Day end with a bang.
Prepare the torte the night before so that your hands will be free on the night itself. Did I mention this recipe is gluten-free?
This recipe was adapted from Daisy Martinez’s recipe on the Cooking Channel.
Ethical cooking tip: try to buy fairtrade chocolate and coffee and organic free-range eggs to make sure you’re supporting fairly paid and treated producers.
- Preheat the oven to 175c. Line a small, round cake tin with baking paper then wrap the aluminum foil around the outside to keep the chocolate mixture from leaking out
- Pour the brewed coffee into a small saucepan along with the cinnamon sticks, cloves and sugar. Bring to the boil then simmer over a low heat for approximately 20 minutes to melt the sugar and let the flavours infuse leaving you with a rich, coffee-flavoured syrup
- While the syrup is cooking break the chocolate into pieces, place in a glass bowl over a small pan of boiling water and melt, stirring occasionally until all the chocolate has melted into a smooth, silky paste
- After the syrup has been cooking for 20 minutes add the butter, cayenne pepper and continue to cook until the butter has melted. Take off the heat and pour into the chocolate mixture using a sieve to catch the cloves and cinnamon sticks. Mix together using a whisk before gradually adding the eggs and whisk until fully combined
- Pour the mixture into the baking tin and place in the pre-heated oven. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until firm. If you pierce with a fork the fork should come out clean when it’s cooked
- Once the torte has cooled, place in the oven and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight if you can. Serve with ice cream, cream and a strong espresso coffee.
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